Transaction Processing Facility ("TPF") is a term recognized throughout the data processing industry, and refers to a highly specialized, real-time, transaction processing, operating system such as the American Airlines' SABRE computerized reservation system ("CRS").
The American Airlines' TPF based CRS is utilized to maximize hardware and software resources for the purpose of processing real time transactions efficiently. Unfortunately, current TPF based airline CRSs fail to respond adequately to critical data accessibility and application independence requirements of today's competitive business environment--requirements addressed by the instant invention.
The intrinsic value of any airline reservation system's TPF based data repository is that it represents an inventory of information that is maintained in as current a manner as possible. Such information is typically referred to as real-time information. Unlike information governed by a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), currently TPF based CRS resident information may only be accessed and utilized by applications managed through the limited purpose TPF control program. Consequently, though a TPF based CRS maintains huge volumes of real-time data resources, it is woefully deficient in its ability to present these resources in a timely and effective manner for use by non-TPF based applications.
As an example, should non-TPF applications require data stored within an airline TPF based CRS environment, such data could be (1) copied into the non-TPF environment via a batch processing scenario, or (2) retrieved from the TPF based CRS via on-line communication channels. If the RDBMS application needs real-time data, option (1) becomes unfeasible due to processing delays and data accuracy impact, associated with host processor and storage device overhead. Option (2) becomes equally unacceptable due to communications delay--most particularly when the application requires reference to more than a single element of real-time data. Option (2) bears the further significant detriment of requiring extensive modification to applications within the airline TPF based CRS environment to facilitate presentation of such data.
The optimum solution to this long standing problem is a means by which real-time airline TPF based CRS data is propagated upon demand to a RDBMS for retrieval and use by the infinite variety of user friendly RDBMS in use throughout today's data processing industry.
The present invention provides the framework within which TPF based CRS data is propagated to a RDBMS for subsequent retrieval and use in a transparent manner by the end user.